The excellent cast members--Kieran Culkin, Michael Cera and Tavi Gevinson—take over and bring convincing life to Lonergan’s troubled characters. Dennis Ziegler (Culkin) is relatively the most together, but is arrogant and mired in dealing drugs. His friend Warren Straub (Cera), is the most messed up, stealing money from his father, who has kicked him out of the house, spending some of the loot and then needing to sell drugs and his record collection to get it back. Ziegler belittles him as a loser. Timid Jessica Goldman (Gevinson) is unsure of herself and whether or not to have sex with Warren. They do after Warren convinces her to join him in a room and an expensive binge at the Plaza Hotel, which he can suddenly afford with his stolen cash. Things are not so rosy between them the next day.

The overall portrait is of young people struggling to find themselves as they mess up, indulge themselves and get into trouble both emotionally and in their relationships, such as they exist. I suspect the play will have its basic appeal to young audiences who can identify with the characters in some way or another, as well as to those who are familiar with the cast members from their varied other exposures.

Although I appreciate some of the smart bursts dialogue Lonergan provides here and there, these are not characters with whom I sympathize very much. I don’t find them especially interesting. Dennis is boring with his pontificating. Warren is more sympathetic, but not with his drug dealing, theft and blabbing to Dennis about his having had sex with Jessica. And she is more to be pitied than enjoyed as an interesting person. The actors become more interesting than the characters they portray.